Description
Monkwell Square was formed post WWII on the site of Monkwell Street, the name probably derived from a medieval family called Muchewella. The central space was originally laid out formally with grass, shaped beds and a series of circular planters, paving and seating. In the 1980s, the 1960s Lee House was replaced by Alban Gate designed by Terry Farrell Partnership and the square was re-designed, much reduced in size. The square is overlooked by residential accommodation on two sides and by the Barber Surgeons' Hall to the east. The landscape design has a central raised area with balustrades, an obelisk and planting in each corner.
Practical Information
| Site location | Monkwell Square/Wood Street |
|---|---|
| Postcode | EC2Y 5BL |
| What3Words | ///spout.forced.organ |
| Type of Site | Public Gardens |
| Borough | City of London |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Tube: Barbican (Circle, Metropolitan, Hammersmith & City). Rail: Barbican. Bus: 56, 100 |
| Research Updated | 1 May 2010 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Monkwell Square was originally formed post World War II on the site of Monkwell Street and a photograph of the late1960s shows a formal layout with grass, shaped beds and a series of circular planters, with an area of hexagonal paving slabs and raised hexagonal elements to form seating. The name probably derived from a medieval family called Muchewella. In the 1980s, the 1960s Lee House office building that had been erected during the redevelopment of London Wall, was replaced by Alban Gate designed by Terry Farrell Partnership. Alban Gate was named after the nearby Wren church of St Alban in Wood Street. The square was redesigned, much reduced in size, and has residential accommodation overlooking the two sides of the square, which is also overlooked by the Barber Surgeons' Hall whose garden (q.v.) lies to the east. Farrell's design has a central raised area with balustrades, an obelisk and planted areas in each corner.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ323816 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.058 |
| Site Ownership | private |
| Site Management | City of London Corporation Open Spaces Dept. |
| Dates | Post-war; 1980s |
| Designers | Terry Farrell |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | City of London |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
Gallery
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.
Nearby parks and gardens
Barber-Surgeons' Hall Gardens are on the site of Hadrian's fort around the City of AD122 with remains of a bastion of AD300. The Worshipful Company of Barbers was founded in 1308, whose livery hall stood near here by 1441. In 1540 they amalgamated with the Worshipful Company of Surgeons although the two split again in 1745. There are records of a garden here by 1555 and in 1597 of preparations for a garden of plants advocated by John Gerard,a plantsman famous for his 'Herbal', a Member and later Master of the Company. The present garden was begun in 1987 on what was by then a derelict bomb site. It contains the Worshipful Company of Barbers Herb Garden, a number of commemorative trees, formal and informal areas, and overlooks an area of water towards St Giles Church, whose churchyard once extended here.
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
The body of King Edmund the Martyr reputedly rested in a church outside Cripplegate in 1010 although 1090 is recorded as the date of the first church of St Giles Cripplegate. The building was added to and rebuilt a number of times from the C14th onwards. Badly damaged by WWII bombing, it was restored in 1960 within the new Barbican Estate. Among well-known people buried here were John Fox (d.1587), historian John Speed (d.1629) and John Milton (d.1674). The churchyard ceased to be used for burials following the 1855 Burial Act and by 1875 was public open space. In 1965 the Corporation of London paved part of the former churchyard to create new public space and north of the church are C18th and C19th gravestones set into raised beds. The church overlooks remains of the old London Wall, the ditch now marked by a water-filled extension of the Barbican lake opposite the Barber-Surgeons' Hall Gardens.
The body of King Edmund the Martyr reputedly rested in a church outside Cripplegate in 1010 although 1090 is recorded as the date of the first church of St Giles Cripplegate. The building was added to and rebuilt a number of times from the C14th onwards. Badly damaged by WWII bombing, it was restored in 1960 within the new Barbican Estate. Among well-known people buried here were John Fox (d.1587), historian John Speed (d.1629) and John Milton (d.1674). The churchyard ceased to be used for burials following the 1855 Burial Act and by 1875 was public open space. In 1965 the Corporation of London paved part of the former churchyard to create new public space and north of the church are C18th and C19th gravestones set into raised beds. The church overlooks remains of the old London Wall, the ditch now marked by a water-filled extension of the Barbican lake opposite the Barber-Surgeons' Hall Gardens.
This and the Barbican were the worst bombed areas in the City in WW II and as a result were substantially rebuilt post-war for both commercial and residential use. This was part of a scheme drawn up in 1954/5 by the Corporation of London and LCC to create a new business district around the London Wall area. There was provision for gardens and open spaces, and fragments of the old Roman City walls and older buildings also remained amidst the new architecture. This included the ruined tower of St Alphage Church, on the site of the C14th priory church of Elsing Spital. To the north, the former churchyard of St Alphage had already been made into a small public garden by 1872. The garden is bounded to the north by a high section of the old Roman Wall and to the west of the main garden is an extension with a lower paved area. These gardens together with the restored tower were re-landscaped and incorporated into London Wall Place, a commercial scheme by Brookfield, with Make architects.
